Draft guide

The draft is considered the most important part of the process that is playing fantasy sports. However, there are a few other key things to consider before. Like where to play, what contest is a good fit and how much you want to spend as an entry fee. But aside from those general things, the draft and how you perform in the draft determines a massive part of your success or failure.

How to
draft

Fantasy sports have some different ways of drafting teams. For example, in some sports, there is a certain quota for how many of each type of player you can choose. Other sports leave you much more freedom in the draft. In the sense that you can pick anyone you want because the sport has a more ‘all-rounder’ kind of nature. It’s up to discussion if for a team sport it’s smart to not take into consideration the position of each player, however, it’s possible.

Fantasy sports draft

Mock draft

Before you enter a contest, try out a few mock drafts to refine a strategy. Even though you might have a rock solid plan in your head, the actual mock draft process is always different. In a mock draft, you get to see who you’d pick in the 1st round if you are last to pick, how you would respond to having all your favorites taken away in front of your eyes. That might be the worst case scenario, but then at least you are prepared for what you would do if a situation like that occurs.

Priority

The first priority during a draft for each team sport is to secure the most important positions. Each sport has its own point system and once you have studied that, you’ll have a good understanding of what types of players can earn you the most points. Because after all, that’s the only point in playing fantasy sports. To collect as many points as possible, more than your competitors

Types of drafts

During mock drafts, you also get to try out different draft systems. For example, the auction, where you get a set amount of money to spend on the players. Or the snake draft, during which the participants take turns in who gets to pick first. It’s very possible that you’ll develop a preference during these mock draft simulations. Which is great, because you can use that information to filter out the contest that you want to take part in.

Trading players

At the end of a draft and also during the contests, it’s possible to propose trades with other participants. However, be very aware of the trades you get offered at the end of the draft. That’s because the reason they propose trades is that they believe you have a good player. Decide for yourself if a proposed trade benefits the strategy you have in mind and if not, politely pass on. Trades during the contest are a little more complicated and although they have a risk, sometimes they can be a good opportunity to take on.

Expert
draft

With there being such a wealth of information about fantasy sports online, you can take advantage of that for your draft. Sites like ESPN and Yahoo publish expert drafts weekly or sometimes daily. Although it’s true that every other participant has access to this information, it can nevertheless teach you a more refined, professional draft approach. Often times, you won’t just be able to see their preferred players for the draft but also for what reason. When you study expert drafts, you learn how to value players in the way they do.

Fantasy football draft guide: the way to win

Breakthrough players

One of the most important ways to get value in drafts, especially when it concerns season-long leagues, is to learn how to identify breakthrough players. They are the players who have solidly been improving. You can see it in the stats, just by the number of goals, or points they have collected throughout different seasons. When you see this increasing line, it might very well be that the next season this player breaks through seemingly out of nowhere and becomes the star of the season. Of course, this is an extreme story, but it generally works that way. Perhaps more subtle, but being able to spot which player is on an ascend, you can gather those players for your team that add the exact right value you need.